A
confession to a friend that someone "messed up." A pre-dawn visit to an auto body
shop. Bloody towels stuffed into garbage
cans. Three men wasted no time conspiring to cover up the hit-and-run that
killed New Orleans police officer Rodney Thomas on Interstate 10 on Sunday morning, the NOPD said Tuesday.

Following
the arrests of Justin McKey, Kenneth Halley and Bill Cager, court records
revealed what NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas referred to as the "web of
deception" surrounding the death of Thomas in the middle of the night on a stretch of I-10.

McKey,
25, who confessed to being behind the wheel of the Porsche that struck and killed Thomas at 12:44
a.m., told police he didn't see Thomas because it was "dark
and I was driving in and out." But court documents and witness statements portray
a much more brutal scenario.

Shortly
after Thomas was involved in a minor accident on the high rise, he got out of
his car to check on the other driver involved. Thomas, who was in
uniform and wearing a reflective vest, began to direct traffic away from
the vehicles.

Just then, records show, a white Porsche, allegedly being driven by
McKey and speeding in the middle lane, raced toward
Thomas.

Thomas
tried to flag the car down, records show, but the Porsche continued on,
side-swiping Thomas' stalled white pickup truck before smashing into Thomas. The driver kept going, with Thomas spread on the front of the car, until his
body fell from the vehicle and hit the ground.

According to witness statements, the Porsche sped away,
leaving Thomas "bleeding and motionless" in the road. Thomas was rushed to a
hospital where he was pronounced dead.

That's when the cover-up began in earnest, court records show. Shortly
after 1 a.m., according to a statement from an unidentified witness, Kenneth Halley, 28,
called this person and asked him to "come outside." The person said the severe damage to the windshield of the vehicle Halley was in was noticeable, but nothing was said about it. The person got into the car through the driver's door and climbed into the back seat. Halley turned around and said, "Jigger messed
up."

The
witness took this to refer to Justin McKey, who is known by the nickname "Jigger." McKey apparently dated a family member of the witness.

The witness said he
then rode with Halley to Best of the Best Automotive and Collision Center, at 2635
Gravier St. Once
they arrived at the body shop, about 1:42 a.m., the two met with
the owner, Bill Cager, 34. Halley and the witness drove the vehicle into the garage
, where Cager wiped the vehicle down with towels which were disposed of
in garbage cans in and around the facility, the witness told police.

The
vehicle had sustained damage to the passenger side and front end, and the
windshield had a massive indentation where the glass was shattered. All this was
recorded by surveillance cameras on the exterior and interior of the body shop.

During
the investigation, police said they found hair in the windshield, and white rags
in garbage cans covered in what appeared to be blood.

On
Monday, McKey turned himself in and was booked on charges of manslaughter and
hit and run causing a death or serious injury. He is being held on a $50,000
bond, records show.

On
Tuesday morning, police announced the arrest of Halley and Bill Cager.
Both were booked on charges of obstruction of justice and accessory after the
fact to manslaughter. Cager's bond was set at $100,000. Halley is expected
to appear in court Tuesday evening.

Just
hours before the fatal hit-and-run, on Saturday about 9 p.m., a police officer
working a traffic detail at the Superdome during Essence Fest
stopped a white Porsche that was driving erratically, across traffic cones. The
driver of the Porsche is believed to be Halley. He was issued a warning and let
go.